AA: Wise Wolf
by Melanie Malachite
Summary: There are many heroes in the world today. Heroes of great renown, their strength and courage inspiring the masses. But let us instead look into the past. Let us see one of the greatest heroes of all. There was once, long ago, a young woman named Holo. She would become the first of Earth's greatest heroes. But even the most brilliant lights will eventually flicker and fade.
1. Ruin

In ages long passed, great and powerful beings came to Earth. They had among them men with strength that could rival the thunder, speed to match the lightning, and wisdom more ancient and sage than the stars. While they were among the Humans, they fought to protect us. They battled giants, creatures of ice that invaded our world, and dragons, serpents of fire that devoured our people.

The most dangerous thing that they ever faced, however, were the Wolves. This story is about one of those Wolves. A young Wolf who knew little of the history of her kin, and who had wandered from her homeland of Yoitsu. After many years apart from her kind, though she was worshiped by the Humans, she wished to return home. This is her return, and this is what happened when she met another Wolf for the first time in many centuries.

This is the last tale on record of Holo, The Wise Wolf.

* * *

A light snow fell to the ground through a canopy of forest, making a thin blanket of white on an old path. The soft snow crunched quietly under the wheels of a small wooden cart. A single horse pulled the cart with it's reins held firmly in the small hands of a frail-looking young woman. She wore a thick jacket over a dress, as well as a hood covering her head. The fine brush of a Wolf's tail was wrapped around her waist.

Beside the woman, a young man slept quietly. He also had on a jacket, with a coat over it, and some thick pants. They had made sure to get warm clothes at the last town where they had stopped. She glanced his direction every minute or so, making sure he wasn't tipping off the cart.

One such instance, she was watching him for only a moment but it caused her to miss a root sticking up out of the snow. The cart jostled as it ran over the root, causing her to accidentally let go of the reins. The horse jerked forward, knocking her off the cart and waking the man.

He yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Looking around, he finally found his travel companion on the ground beside the cart. He laughed. "You must have been really hungry to try hunting snow."

She glared up at him and spat out her mouthful of snow. She unwrapped the tail from around her and used it to gently brush the rest of the white powder from her clothes. "You should know better than to make fun of me, Lawrence."

He nodded, unable to hide a smile. "A wise and vengeful Wolf. Yes, I know." He looked around at the forest they were traveling through. "How long did I sleep?"

She released the tail, which then flowed freely behind her, and crossed her arms. "A year."

He shook his head. "Seriously, Holo. How long?"

Holo jumped up beside him and sat down, handing him the reins. "Almost three hours. It's my turn to sleep now, and you can't wake me up for at least twice as long as you slept."

He just shrugged. "I'll be fine. I can go six hours easily."

Her tail wrapped around her waist again and she pulled her hood tightly over her head. "Good. You know better than to disturb me when I'm sleeping, so don't."

Lawrence laughed at this, but Holo ignored him and drifted off to sleep. They traveled in silence for an hour or so before Holo began to stir. She opened her eyes and glanced around from under her hood before reaching up and pulling the hood down. The ears of a Wolf, her ears, perked up and twitched as if listening for something.

Lawrence caught the signal and stopped the cart quietly. He waited a moment before asking. "What do you hear?"

Holo was silent, still listening intently. Then suddenly, she answered. "A Wolf. It's nearby, but I don't think it's following us. 'Tis strange... it sounds familiar."

He arched an eyebrow. "Old friend, perhaps?"

She climbed into the back of the cart and stood up. "Perhaps, but I don't think I'm home yet, so it seems unlikely."

He shrugged. "It has been a while, hasn't it? Maybe the place has changed some."

She frowned at that. "I regret that you may be right, but I should be able to recognize something. If nothing else, there should be more Wolves. I only sense the one."

"Could the rest be hiding?"

She shook her head. "Even if they were, I should be able to smell them at least. If they're anywhere near, then they're sleeping and they're too far away for me to hear them snoring. Some Wolves snore pretty loudly, you know."

He held back a laugh. "I wouldn't know anything about that."

Holo snorted, glaring down at him. "In all the time we've spent traveling together, I thought you would have learned that..." She jumped down beside him and stared him down. "...we Wolves know sarcasm when we hear it."

He waved his hands in defense. "Wait a minute, that's not what I-"

"I do not snore!" She practically yelled in his face. "And before you say anything else, I don't lose my temper either."

"That I did know."

After a short pause, Holo shook her head. "You are toying with me, Lawrence. Now is not the... time..."

Holo's ears twitched excitedly. There was a sound, and a scent to accompany it. She glanced around, trying to spot the source. She knew there was a group of Humans approaching, but it bothered her to be unsure of the direction they were approaching from.

She noticed that Lawrence was watching her, so she pulled her hood up to cover her ears. "A group of men are approaching rather fast. I believe they are on the path, but I cannot be certain."

He gave her an odd look. "When you say men, do you mean...?" He decided to let her finish for him.

She sat down stiffly and bowed her head, pretending to be sleeping. "I mean they march like soldiers but talk like drunkards."

He grimaced. "That does not sound too good for us. We had best get off the path."

Holo shook her head. "I say it would be better for us to keep moving than to try and hide."

"And if they're mercenaries?" He looked to her for an answer, but she shrugged. He sighed. "Holo, if they're mercenaries, or worse, they're barbarians, then I'd be in serious danger."

She glanced over to him briefly, then went back to pretending to sleep. "Just you, not I? Why is your concern not for me?"

"Well, because I honestly don't know what would actually be dangerous for you." He waited a moment for her response, but when she said nothing he started to wonder if his words had hurt her. He nudged her playfully. "Hey, look, I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

Under her hood, Holo smiled. "It would be better if you didn't need to, but tis good to know."

They fell into silence, waiting until they could see the approaching men. When they finally came into sight, Lawrence noted that there were about twenty of them. They had no horses, but almost half of them carried bows. If they made to chase the cart Lawrence could outrun them, but he knew he would be cut down by their arrows.

He tried his best to just pass them by, keeping a tight grip on the reins as they walked past. If he had to guess by their appearance, they were mercenaries. It was the better option of the two, but it was still risky. One or two of them looked at the cart, but they seemed content to keep to themselves.

When they had gotten past the mercenaries, Lawrence let out his breath. "That was tedious. Holo, I will never doubt your judgment again." He looked over to his companion, and she flashed a cute grin.

Under her hood, he saw Holo's ears twitch suddenly. She jumped up and turned around. "Lawrence, get us out of here!"

He did as she urged without asking. Only once the horse was pulling the cart as fast as it could did he chance a look behind. Two or three of the mercenaries were running in their wake, giving him hope that they would escape. Then horse riders came into view. They overtook the mercenaries and cut them down.

Lawrence urged the horse to go faster, while Holo jumped into the back of the cart. She searched around frantically. "Do you not carry any weapons?"

He glanced back at her. "Have you seen me with any weapons? Why didn't you hear them approaching before?"

The cart hit something solid under the snow, sending Holo falling onto her back. She sat up, seeing the riders closing in on them. "Those men were making too much noise. I didn't notice the horses until they started running. Is there nothing back here I can use to fend them off?"

Lawrence focused on the path in front of him, just shouting back to Holo. "Well, why don't you try throwing the apples at them?"

"Hell no!" She watched the closest rider until he was right behind the cart. He had a sword raised above his head, a battle cry coming from his mouth. She suddenly jumped at his horse's face, letting out a roaring growl.

The horse reared up, surprised by her sudden aggressive movement and frightened by the sound of a Wolf. The rider, equally surprised, fell from his mount. Holo smirked in triumph as the man and his horse fell behind them, only to be shocked when three other riders trampled the man in their pursuit of the cart.

"Lawrence, I got rid of one, but..." One of the riders stopped his horse and readied a bow. Holo ducked down into the cart. "Arrows! Get down!"

She never heard Lawrence respond, but she heard the arrows fly over her head. A moment later, she felt the cart beginning to turn. She got up and turned to the front. She was looking to see if Lawrence was hit, but all she saw was a tree branch.

The cart tipped over and fell to the side of the path, rolling down a hill and crashing into a tree. Along the way, Holo, Lawrence, and a bushel of apples spilled onto the ground. Quickly regaining her senses, Holo looked up to see Lawrence attempting to calm the horse and keep it from running away. The arrow, she saw, had hit the horse in its hindquarters.

Holo got up slowly, taking notice of the apples scattered all over the ground. Suddenly, the apple nearest to her was pierced by an arrow. She turned and looked up the hill at the three men on their horses. All of them were armed now with bows, aiming at her and Lawrence.

The first arrow flew past Lawrence, taking the horse in its neck. He watched it fall to the ground before turning to the men above them. The second arrow hit him in the chest. He fell to his knees, the sudden pain rushing through his body. He could barely hear Holo as she called to him, running to his side. A third arrow buried into Holo's back. She fell to the ground and stopped moving, her face in the snow.

Lawrence watched Holo, unable to move to her aide, waiting for her to move. The men got off their horses and made their way down to the smashed cart. One of them knelt down beside Holo and pulled the arrow out of her back. He looked up at the others.

"Idiots. Why would you just kill the girl? We could have had some fun first."

Lawrence was about to force his body up so he could fight back at these men, but he was beaten to it. Holo's hand was at the man's throat with lightning speed. She dug in, causing blood to spray out of his neck, then ripped his throat apart. She grabbed his sword and stood, pointing the weapon at the other two.

The men laughed at her, believing her to just be a young maiden waving a sword around. Their laughs caught in their throats when she pulled her hood down, revealing the pointed ears of a Wolf. She growled menacingly, and their faces showed that they were now taking her seriously.

Holo jumped forward, catching the closer of the two completely off guard and letting the sword split open his belly. The last man raised his sword just in time to keep her from plunging the point of her blade into his chest. She pulled back, then swung low. He defended, but she had not been aiming for his body. The tip o her sword hit the handle of his, catching his hand and slicing off a finger. He dropped his sword into the snow. Her next swing took off his head.

Before the body had even hit the ground, Holo dropped her sword and helped Lawrence lie down on his back. She looked at the arrow protruding from his chest. "This... this is not good. I don't know what to do."

Lawrence just looked around, his face the picture of shock. "Holo... you..."

She put her finger on his mouth. "Shush. I need to concentrate. You're badly wounded, and I don't know how to deal with it."

She tried to figure out how to pull the arrow out, but when she realized it was hurting him she stopped. She tried to stop his blood loss, but nothing seemed to be working. She tried everything she could think of, but slowly and surely, she was losing hope.

Her head bowed down, her hands covering her face. "I... I'm sorry. I don't know what to do..."

Minutes could have passed in silence before she felt the presence. She looked up, her senses tingling all over. Standing over her, smiling down with a kind face, was an older man with long hair draped over his shoulders. He seemed to think nothing of her ears, giving her the slightest bit of hope.

Holo was glad Lawrence had slipped out of consciousness. She would not have wanted him to see this. Holo, the Wise Wolf of Yoitsu, begged for help from the old man. She begged him to help Lawrence. If not save him, at least make his passing more comfortable.

The man placed his hand on Holo's head, between her ears. "I have been waiting for the both of you for many years. Do not worry. He will not die this day. I will ensure that."


	2. Old Monk

A warm red glow from the fireplace in the back corner cast shadows around the single-room cabin. A dozen beds lined the walls, all of them kept a fair distance from both the door and the fire. Only one bed, about a meter away from the fireplace, was occupied.

The man lying in the bed was asleep and breathing shallow. His shirt had been removed and his chest bandaged after the arrow was removed and the area disinfected. He was expected to make a full recovery.

Kneeling down in the far corner, Holo kept a steady eye on Lawrence as he slept. She didn't even want to think about what she would do if he had died. A stray tear dripped from her eye as the thought passed her mind. She had been so close to losing him.

She hissed as a cloth soaked in disinfectant touched the spot where the arrow had hit her. "Must we do this?"

The old man smiled, or at least she assumed he did. "I do not know if you can die, Holo, but I think we would both prefer to avoid finding out the hard way. This wound was already getting infected. Lawrence's wound was the same."

"Do you think the arrows were infected?"

He laughed. "Most likely, but I doubt it was intentional. They would have had no reason to keep the arrows clean, is all."

She felt him beginning to apply a bandage, wincing when he pressed down on the spot. She had kept her shirt on while he treated her, only lifting up the back so that he could work. If she had learned anything from Lawrence, it was that a wise Wolf must also be a modest Wolf. "I must confess that it has been quite a while since I've felt pain like this."

Finishing his work, he stood up and walked back over to Lawrence. "I can imagine. You are lucky, however. Not many get hit in the back with an arrow and live long enough to tell the story."

Holo just grunted. "I wouldn't think it'd be something many would like to recount anyway."

"All the same, I saw what you did. Any normal man would scoff at a tale of a young maiden defeating any number of barbarians." He looked back to her. "But you're no ordinary maiden..."

She stood up and stretched, stopping when she felt the bandage straining a bit. "Oh, aye. Neither am I as young as you, I think."

He laughed at that. "Oh, well, I don't think either of us would bother to count our years. We have that in common."

Holo sat down on one of the beds near Lawrence so that she could rest while she kept an eye on him. She watched the old man as he checked Lawrence's wounds, and she found herself wondering something. "Tell me... how long have you lived out here like this? Alone."

He looked up from his work and smiled. "Not alone. I mean, it is true that I do not get much Human companionship out here, but I at least have someone to talk to."

It took a second, but Holo caught on. She was a wise Wolf, after all. "Ah. You speak to God, then?"

He nodded and stood, walking over the the bed next to her. "Indeed..."

Holo waited a few moments, watching him carefully. Something was missing. "...But he does not speak to you in return?"

His smile dropped and he shook his head. "If the Lord speaks, it is not to me or I have gone deaf."

"So you are alone."

He shook his head again. "Not nearly. You see, the Lord is a great listener. The only problem is... I have run out of things to speak to him about."

They were silent for a minute or two before Holo spoke again. "You haven't answered my question though. How long have you lived here?"

He laughed again, and she was glad he wouldn't continue on the gloomy subject they had previously been heading toward. "I'm not sure I can recount the number of years I've lived in this cabin in these woods. I know I came here some time after you left."

She stopped him at that. "You mean to tell me that this is indeed my homeland of Yoitsu?" He just nodded. Holo surprised him with a sad sigh. "I had heard that the Wolves had all fled, but I still hoped... I had hoped they would have come back."

"Did you also hear why the Wolves fled?"

Holo glanced back at Lawrence and didn't answer until she was sure he was completely unconscious. "There was a spirit called... the Moon-Hunting Bear. It went about slaying other spirits wherever it went. When it came to the northlands... my pack fled."

He seemed to be listening intently, as if he hadn't heard any of this before. "And what of this Moon-Hunting Bear?"

She shook her head. "A foolish name, if ever there was one. I mean, while one cannot say whether it hunted the moon or not, it certainly never caught the moon." She laughed at her joke briefly, and he joined in for a moment, but then she sobered back up. "Ah... after it had slain the other spirits of the northlands, it went to battle a sea serpent named... uh..."

He smiled gently. "You cannot remember the serpent's name?"

Holo grimaced. "It was a particularly annoying name. Not easily remembered." She ran her fingers through her hair and smoothed out the fur on her pointed ears. She was wracking her brain to remember the name. "Ah, eh... urm... Te... It had a name. Sometimes I wish spirits would just pick simple names... oh, Teuperovan!"

He grinned. "Ah, so it is the one I thought it was. I do remember hearing of the great sea serpent named Teuperovan, as well as it's last battle with a Bear spirit."

Holo frowned. "So the Moon-Hunting Bear won the battle."

"Well, that's not-"

"No." She shook her head and flopped over onto the cushion at the head of her bed. "I do not wish to hear more of it for now. I just wonder what... what could have caused that to be the last tale of the Moon-Hunting Bear..."

"Perhaps neither one won the battle."

Holo sat up again, staring across at him. "...you... how did you know you would meet me and Lawrence?"

He looked a little unprepared for the change of subject, but welcomed it quickly enough. "Ah, that. That was the last time God spoke to me. He told me where to go and who to expect. I followed what I was told."

She looked skeptical. "Your God told you that you would meet a young merchant and a giant Wolf spirit in the form of a Human maiden... and you went to meet them?"

"Without a question, yes."

"Were you a priest or monk or something before you came here?"

He smiled and shrugged. "I am still a monk, just one far from any monastery."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And did the church not teach you to fear and hate spirits that the Pagans worshiped?"

He laughed at her question. "Oh, yes, indeed. They always have and always will teach that, but they do not teach what they truly should." When she looked like he had lost her, he explained. "Deliberation. First off... you are very definitely a living creature, and undoubtedly tangible. That alone says that you are no spirit. As well, if you were a demon you would either be entirely horrifying or entirely desirable in appearance. I beg your pardon, but your true form is hardly desirable to any Human."

Holo nodded silently, still being cautious. "Hence why I take Human form."

"But can you really call it that?" He cleared his throat. "Again, I mean no disrespect, but your form is not exactly Human either. However, when Humans see you in your true form, are they not often both terrified and awed?"

Holo closed her eyes, remembering the looks she had gotten every time she had shown her true form to Humans. She briefly smiled at the memory of how Lawrence had fainted at the mere sight of a single leg the first time. There was that shepherdess girl, Norah, who was indeed truly in awe of Holo. Then there was Elsa and Evan, who had quickly come to accept her appearance and had even thought it was magnificent. Of course, Lawrence was still the biggest one. She did love the way he would compliment her fur coat at times. She could tell he had never stopped fearing her, but he definitely was not scared.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the man across from her. "So I am not a demon or spirit. I already knew this. The question then lies in what I really am."

"You do not know where you come from?"

Holo looked grim. "I... never. I bet there isn't a creature in this world that knows nothing of where it comes from, whether it be an inkling of the place or a memory of the parents." She wiped at her eyes, only to realize that she hadn't started crying. "Why... why would a wise Wolf know so much about so many things, but have no idea why she exists?"

He sighed and stood up. "I fear that I cannot give you the answers you seek, but I will pray for you."

She shrugged. "Thank you." The prayer itself meant nothing to her. Whether there was a God or not was none of her concern. It was something that only mortals truly needed. It was, as they say, the thought that counts.

The old monk lay down on a bed against the opposite wall. "We should all get some rest now, Holo. But... I think if you were to continue to travel North... you might find some of the answers you seek."

Holo lay down, covering her tail and ears with the blanket on the bed just in case someone might find the cabin and enter while she slept. She thought about his words until she fell asleep. What answers could she find even further North than Yoitsu? Even if there were answers to her questions, would they be the answers she wanted?

About halfway through the night, Holo was awakened by a noise. She did not move or make any sound to give herself away, but she opened her eyes just a little bit. She saw a dark figure in a long cloak at the door. A cold wind blew in as the door was opened and the figure stepped outside.

Once she was sure they wouldn't return immediately, she sat up and looked around. Lawrence was still asleep, but the old monk was gone from his bed. She knew it had to be him sneaking out in the middle of the night, and she became suspicious. Of course, it could be something he did every night, but if that was the case then he wouldn't mind her following him. If this was a special occasion, or rather if it was because of her, then she minded not following him.

Grabbing her own cloak and wrapping it around her, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the cold night, closing the door behind her quickly so that Lawrence didn't get cold. Saying that it was a cold night was an understatement, and Holo found herself wondering if she shouldn't just turn into her Wolf form just so she would be warmer. Truth be told, it was a blizzard.

Despite the amount of snow that had fallen in such a short amount of time, she could still see faint footprints left in the snow. They were filling quickly, so she darted in the direction they went. A moment later, she saw him trudging through the snow. He hadn't gotten far, and it seemed he hadn't noticed her. She stayed far enough back that she could see him, but he would not be able to identify her if he turned around and saw her shape through the snow.

When he stopped, she did the same, and another figure joined him. She had suspected he might betray them, but that fear was dashed when the second figure appeared. She still could not make it out because of the blizzard, but she could see that it was not Human. It was far too small to be anything she knew of other than an animal. And he was talking to it.


End file.
